Director V.V. Vinayak is under quite a lot of pressure these days for the upcoming debut film of Nagarjuna’s son Akhil. “We work very hard for every film, but a bit of pressure is there for this film as we are launching a big star kid,” says Vinayak.
He adds that he got the idea of making a film with Akhil while watching Manam. “I had a good story and I felt that Akhil would be best suited for it and approached him,” says the director.
The film has received a U/A certificate and is set for release on Diwali, on November 11. When asked whether the film would suffer as it was postponed, he says, “No. Postponement was a big plus point. Now, we are releasing in nearly 400 screens in Nizam. If it had released earlier, we might not have got that many screens. So we feel that it is good for the film.”
He, however, agrees that fans were upset with the postponement.
“Yes, Nagarjuna’s fans were upset at that time, but we spoke to them on the same day that we announced the postponement. They understood our problem and were satisfied. Now, they are fully supporting the film,” adds Vinayak.
The reason for the postponement was a scene in the climax. “It’s an action scene and while watching the output we thought that it had not come out well. So we decided to do it in a better way. We approached DQ Company for the graphics and they did it. We did not reshoot any scene or any part of the film as many people think,” he adds.
Asked whether Akhil was unhappy with the postponement, the director says, “He is happy, and he too agreed to it. It was not a big issue for us. Only outsiders were talking about it as if it was a big problem.”
Vinayak adds that Akhil worked really hard for the film and looks different compared to Nagarjuna.
“You can feel the thrill when you see him while doing action or in the song sequences. He did a lot of rehearsals and sometimes he even forgot to eat. One day he fainted on the sets while shooting and we were all scared,” says Vinayak.
Given the hype for his first film, won’t Akhil be under more pressure for his next film? “It is true, but I feel that the stakes are going to be high, film after film. I know that Akhil is a capable person and according to my knowledge many Hindi filmmakers are approaching him. So I definitely feel that his second film will be bigger than this one,” he says.
Given that Akhil is only 21, how will he handle it? Vinayaka says, “Tensions and pressures are there but he has to take them in his stride, and his father’s support is also there. I know he is very young but I am confident that he will handle it.”
About father Nagarjuna’s input in the film, Vinayak says, “I only spoke with Nagarjuna regularly for the film’s post-production. He generally never advises — he will point it out if he sees something wrong. He advised us not to hurry with the release as the final product was more important.”
Vinayak says that the film’s budget was high because the story demanded it. “The film was shot in many foreign locations and I am confident that it will be a hit.”
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